Investigators arrested William Paul Gaskin, 40, on April 29 and accused him of sexually abusing a 3-year-old girl, who he was baby-sitting, said Sgt. David Thompson, a sheriff's office spokesman. Gaskin was baby-sitting the girl at her home, when one of her parent's roommates came home and found Gaskin abusing the girl, Thompson said. The roommate reportedly told the girl's mother, who then called the sheriff's office.

Gaskin reportedly was booked into the Washington County Jail on accusations of first-degree sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse. While he was in jail, the Beaverton Police Department received a report that Gaskin sexually abused his former roommate's daughter, who was 5 years old at the time, Thompson said.

The girl's father reported the abuse on Aug. 18, Thompson said, and Beaverton police turned the investigation over to sheriff's detectives because of their existing case against Gaskin. Thompson said Gaskin and would baby-sit the 5-year-old girl while her father was at work.

WCSODesiree Chapman

Gaskin's girlfriend, Desiree Chapman, 23, also lived at his home, Thompson said. The 5-year-old, Thompson said, reported that Gaskin would sexually abuse her and that Chapman was present when the abuse occurred.

Detectives on Aug. 30 served a search warrant at Gaskin's apartment, where they found evidence of the abuse, Thompson said. Reportedly, the case was presented to a grand jury on Sept. 15 and Gaskin was subsequently charged with four counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and one count of using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct.

Chapman, Thompson said, on Sept. 16 was arrested on accusations of two counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and one count each of first-degree sodomy and using a child in a display of sexually explicit conduct. Both Chapman and Gaskin are being held in the Washington County Jail.

Several of the charges that Gaskin and Chapman face are Measure 11 crimes that carry mandatory minimum prison sentences. Because the children were younger than 12 years old at the time of the abuse, Gaskin and Chapman could each face 25 years in prison, under Jessica's Law, Thompson said.

Investigators believe that the couple have baby-sat many children in the past and they are worried there could be more victims. Anyone who has left their children alone with Gaskin or Chapman is asked to call sheriff's Detective John Shipley at 503-846-2596.